A Lot of Money Was Spent in GA 6 Just to Lose an Election

image
Published: 21 Jun, 2017
Updated: 17 Oct, 2022
2 min read

It's hard to believe that special election spending in an odd-year would break so many records, but it did.

It was reported ahead of Tuesday that the special election in Georgia's sixth congressional district would be the most expensive House race in history. In fact, it eviscerated that record back in May. What is just as incredible is how much candidates and special interest groups spent per vote: over $200, according to OpenSecrets.org.

https://twitter.com/OpenSecretsDC/status/877615535583875072

Over $200 per vote! And considering how much more the losing side controlled, that is a lot of money spent to lose an election.

https://twitter.com/mjbeckel/status/877324536307359744

Turnout in the Georgia special election was reportedly 58 percent, which is higher than many congressional elections in a midterm year. Republican Karen Handel ended up taking the district with 52 percent over Democratic opponent Jon Ossoff, despite Ossoff reportedly spending 6 times the amount Handel spent in the race.

In the end, it wasn't the money raised or spent that swayed the election; it was the voters in a consistently Republican district. Sure, interest in the race peaked with increased media exposure, which helped drive higher turnout, but with all the talk of money in politics being so powerful in elections, it didn't give the losing side an advantage.

Those who say money in politics is the biggest evil in elections should pause and reflect on this.

If we want to get to the root cause of what is broken about our elections, we need to look at who controls those elections, specially the most crucial stage of the election process: the primaries. We need to look at who controls the drawing of electoral districts. We need to look at who controls the narrative by shutting out competitive voices. We need to look at who controls who gets on the ballot.

IVP Donate

The answer to all of these questions in most states is the same: the Republican and Democratic Parties. These two private political corporations have spent decades consolidating their power and blocking out competition at every institutional level of our Republic and our elections.

That is what we should be talking about. What do you think?

Photo Credit: Sean Locke Photography / shutterstock.com

Latest articles

Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read
A man filling out his election ballot.
Oregon Activist Sues over Closed Primaries: 'I Shouldn't Have to Join a Party to Have a Voice'
A new lawsuit filed in Oregon challenges the constitutionality of the state’s closed primary system, which denies the state’s largest registered voting bloc – independent voters – access to taxpayer-funded primary elections. The suit alleges Oregon is denying the voters equal voting rights...
01 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Supreme Court building.
Supreme Court Sides with Federal Corrections Officers in Lawsuit Over Prison Incident
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 30 that federal prison officers and officials cannot be sued by an inmate who accused them of excessive force during a 2021 incident, delivering a victory for federal corrections personnel concerned about rising legal exposure for doing their jobs....
01 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read